The “Making” of a Community

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January 28, 2018

Many people think of a “maker” as someone who works with their hands: a furniture craftsman, a ceramic artist, a painter. They would not be wrong, but when I think of the word, I see our local people as the makers of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Consider each person as an individual molecule, with each molecule having a skill set. As an individual, this skill has immense value, but not standing alone. As these molecules (people) join to form a larger mass, we have an assembly of individual skills interacting together and sharing their values. Each maker shares his/her value with the community, which helps both the community and the maker prosper.

As our community grows and the makers form their individual networks, they discover that there are others who share a comparable skill. This creates competition, which is good for the community and the maker. It motivates the maker to develop an even better skill or product. It also leads to price stabilization so the products and services are not priced beyond the means of the community.

As the publisher of Roaring Fork Lifestyle, I get to explore the work of these creators often by word of mouth or referral. They have business fronts and studios snuggled in the hills or tucked along alleyways or main streets in the valley, each having a value for the community. Their skills and products are discovered by neighbors and customers talking, which leads to the growth of their business. This is a small but effective network.

Roaring Fork Lifestyle offers a consistent valley-wide network that introduces the makers, delivering their message and creating a presence in households and businesses throughout the valley. We offer the ability to grow your business and enlarge your network. We offer the makers of the valley a way to become a part of the larger mass: the community.